At 14:22 on Monday 23^rd November 2009, the first clear evidence of a collision of particles was recorded from each of the two counter-rotating beams of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, or CERN as it is known near Geneva, Switzerland.

An image of an event in which a microscopic-black-hole was produced in the collision of two protons in a computer generated image of the ATLAS detector. Image provided by www.cern.ch

Following weeks of preparation, the international team of CERN scientists watched on as recent and rapid progress in the testing of the new accelerator brought to fruition success from the revolutionary international project.

“Arriving here at CERN from Melbourne at mid-day Monday, the feeling of anticipation was palpable,” Professor Geoffrey N. Taylor, from the University of Melbourne’s School of Physics said.

Professor Taylor recalled how physicists assembled at the time, ‘cheered wildly’ as depictions of the particle collision were projected onto the wall of the ATLAS control room.

This event signals the completion of the development phase of the ATLAS experiment to which Australia’s commitment has been $700m, led for the past 20 years by Professor Taylor.

Although much work remains to be done on this experiment, scientists believe this achievement has proven the promised potential and justification of the largest scientific experiment ever built.

Both the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney are foundation institutes within the ATLAS collaboration. This results in Australian science having an excellent participatory role in a project, which involves 10,000 scientists from over 100 countries, that is hoped will unravel some of science’s longest-running mysteries of the universe.

For more information, please visit: www.cern.ch or www.lhc.ac.uk

The Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) was established under the former Government in 1997 as the Government’s principal source of independent advice on issues in science, engineering and innovation and relevant aspects of education and training.  The precursor to PMSEIC was the Prime Minister’s Science Council established by the Hawke Labor Government in 1989.  This was then followed in 1992 by the Prime Minister’s Science and Engineering Council.

The Council meets in full session, twice a year, to discuss major national issues in science, engineering and technology and their contribution to the economic and social development of Australia.

The recent Australian Government’s policy paper Powering Ideas: an Innovation Agenda for the 21st Century gave PMSEIC the mandate of looking over the horizon to support long term, whole-of-Government policy development.  As a result, PMSEIC has adopted a broader definition of science to include the social sciences, and a new model of operation was introduced incorporating a foresighting approach.

The new model provides PMSEIC with a unique opportunity to provide long range advice on issues of national importance, highlighting areas of research where an early and timely response can really make a difference.  Foresighting teams will identify a set of plausible futures that lie 10 to 50 years ahead of us, draw a line between where we are now and each of those futures, and then ask: What are the problems and opportunities for Australia that intersect that line that involve science, and how can we overcome or embrace them?

Four themes for exploration have been agreed:

• Climate Change, Energy, Water and Environment;
• Science as an Engine for Innovation in Commerce, Industry and the Arts;
• National Health, Well-being and Security; and
• Knowledge Generation, Skills and Perception in a Global World.

These themes lie at the intersection of Government portfolios and across traditional disciplines of research, and in many cases involve social challenges resistant to conventional approaches to solving them.

Please visit the PMSEIC website to find further information including reports and presentations that have been produced by the Council.